Apparatus and process of the aforementioned kind are known for producing sausages in a natural, synthetic or collagen sausage skin. The sausage meat is held in readiness in a filling hopper of a sausage filling machine and introduced into a sausage skin through a filling tube connected to the filling machine. Twist-off locations are produced with a twisting-off device between individual portions of the filled sausage skin so that the result is a chain of individual sausages which however are still interconnected. Then in many situations of use the chain of sausages is fed by means of a transport device to a separating device which severs the chain of sausages in the region of a twist-off location so that individual sausages or a group of interconnected sausages results. The individual sausages or the group are then packaged or subjected to heat treatment.
Particular significance is attributed to transport of the chain of sausages. In regard to separation thereof by means of the separating device it is important for the chain of sausages to be reliably transported away from the twisting-off device and further conveyed to the separating device. Furthermore, in regard to the separation operation, it is important that a twist-off location is of a sufficient length so that the sausages remain reliably closed at their ends after they have been separated.
In addition a particular requirement is for the apparatuses and processes to be such that they can be flexibly adapted to different products or applications. For example adaptation to the respective sausage skin used, that is to say natural, synthetic or collagen skin, or also to different sausage lengths or transverse dimensions is required.